Northern Puget Sound hatchery king fishery will likely stay open until Friday

Rumors were swirling faster than the outgoing minus low tide this past weekend about the northern Puget Sound hatchery king fishery shutting down before the official last day which is this coming Friday (Aug. 15).

“Hatchery chinook catches through Sunday were 2,422 chinook, which is 75 percent of the 3,218 harvest quota,” said Mark Baltzell, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. “At this point we did sample through Monday, and after reviewing the catch estimates we feel comfortable that it will stay open through Friday.”

Those looking for a last chance at North Sound hatchery kings should try Pilot Point, Possession Bar, Point No Point, Marrowstone Island, Bush Point off west side of Whidbey Island and Midchannel Bank off Port Townsend.

Central Puget Sound remains open for coho only, and the hatchery chinook fishery ended last Friday with a catch of 1,051 fish falling just under the harvest quota of 1,112.

Some anglers are heading into south central Puget Sound, and finding a some hatchery king action off the Clay Banks at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma; south of Brace Point; Dolphins Point; Point Dalco on Vashon Island; Three Tree Point; Point Robinson; Redondo Beach area; Point Evans; south of the Southworth Ferry Landing; and Gig Harbor.

About the author

A Seattle native, Mark Yuasa is a lifelong angler who grew up near the banks of Lake Washington and has been covering fishing and outdoors for more than 21 years for The Seattle Times. Read his regular fishing report every Thursday and the outdoor notebook every Sunday.